


Sisterly Advice

by SpeakFriendandEnter



Category: ParaNorman (2012)
Genre: Gen, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sibling Bonding, awkward crushes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-25
Updated: 2013-01-25
Packaged: 2017-11-26 20:31:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/654132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SpeakFriendandEnter/pseuds/SpeakFriendandEnter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Norman finds himself dealing with his first crush, and who better to consult than Courtney?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sisterly Advice

**Author's Note:**

> This was actually written a few months ago, back when the movie first came out in theaters. I just didn't have anywhere proper to throw it until now. I've always loved these two, though. They're my first otp from this film and there really needs to be more love for them. Uhm, this is my first time posting here on this site so wow I am really really sorry if anything seems awkward or weird on this.

If someone had told Norman back when he was still eleven that he would actively dread the day his sister left for college, he would've believed them crazy. There was no way. Courtney? His shrill, catcalling, always-clad-in-pink older sister? Surely it would be much more peaceful with her gone. Quieter. Norman could vividly remember a time when he counted down the days, months, years, to this event. 

Well. That was then and this was now, so they say. 

Norman never would have seen it coming, but he and his sister had actually grown much closer in the past few years. She put up with his zombie movies, he put up with her boy talk, and together they had, without trying really, found a way to bond. He hadn't meant to, but he'd become a bit dependent on her being around all the time. Obviously he had Neil, who he could go to for anything, he knew that, but now.. well, the timing couldn't be worse. For the first time, Norman had a problem that he could not, under any circumstances, go to Neil with. And now Courtney was leaving. 

In the back of his mind he knew he was being stubborn. She wasn't leaving for a whole week yet, more than enough time to have a simple conversation, and it wasn't as if they wouldn't text while she was away. Still though, his teenage angst that he couldn't quite beat down said why talk to Courtney, who of all people would probably give him the best advice, when he could be on his own brooding about all of it?

But of course Neil noticed something was on his mind. Of _course_ he did, why wouldn't he? Norman had never been good at hiding his moods, but even if he was he knew he'd never be able to hide anything from his best friend. Neil, who was far more intuitive than he had any right to be, who was always so concerned for Norman's well being, always trying to cheer him up when he was upset, sensitive, thoughtful, understanding -

Well.

Unlike Courtney, though, Neil never knew (or bothered) to leave well enough alone. Sometimes it was what Norman needed, someone forceful like him to remind him that someone _did_ care, that talking _did_ help. Most of the time. 

"It's about Courtney, isn't it?" Neil asked him one day. 

Norman glanced up from his book. Neil was parked in a beanbag chair in front of his tv playing a video game Norman couldn't recall the name of, he himself lounging on his friend's bed a few feet away. 

"What's about Courtney?" he asked back. 

"I dunno, something's been bugging you lately," he stated, his eyes never leaving the tv screen. "I figured it was about Courtney leaving for college. I mean, I was pretty bummed when Mitch left last year."

Norman wasn't sure if he'd ever be used to.. whether it was his lack of talent in putting up a front, or that Neil just knew him too well, he didn't know, but either way he was a bit too taken aback to respond right away. 

"I, uh.. I didn't realize I was.." he trailed off stupidly. "No it's.. I mean yeah, she.. it'll be different without her."

Neil glanced back at him. "Quieter you mean," he said playfully. 

Norman smiled and said nothing. Neil went back to his game and he went back to his book. Back to their comfortable silence broken only by the video game on the television screen. 

That night, Neil asked Norman if he wanted to stay the night there. Normally he would've accepted the offer - almost always did, Neil's house was practically a second home to him - but as of late..

"Thanks Neil, but I.. I kind of want to spend some time with Courtney. It's her last week at home, so.." he paused, feeling guilty and wishing that he didn't. It was only half of a lie anyway. "I know that probably sounds stupid."

Neil smiled and playfully hit him on the arm. "Norman, it's not stupid. It's fine! Go.. watch Titanic or whatever you guys do together."

Norman laughed, instinctively bringing his hand up to the spot Neil hit him. He let it linger there without really thinking about it. Something was right on the tip of his tongue. A word, an entire sentence, a confession. He wanted both to keep it in and let it go and be done with it already, but -

"Norman?"

Neil was looking at him strangely. Norman coughed and shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets. He smiled, and with an unenthusiastic "see you", he had turned and exited his friend's bedroom.

 

\--

 

When he came home he found his sister in her room, concentrating on painting her toenails a violent shade of lime green. Norman knocked quietly on the door frame. 

"Hey, uh.. Courtney?"

She didn't look up. "Yeah?"

He bit his lip. "Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure."

Norman held tight to the hem of his jacket, a nervous habit of his. Hesitate. Deep breath. "I.. was wonder.. wondering, er, when.. how.. how do youknowwhenyoulikesomebody?"

Silence met his jumbled words, and Norman half cursed himself for not being able to speak properly in the first place, while the other hoped his sister hadn't understood a word and he could still escape. He knew that wasn't the case, though. One look at her and he could tell she'd heard him just fine. He swallowed. Waited.

Then, after seconds too long of nothing, her reaction was, well.. very Courtney-esque.

Her head snapped up, and she wore the biggest grin he could ever remember seeing on his sister's face. She jumped up, nail polish forgotten, yanked him further into her room and slammed the door behind him. She all but threw the two of them onto the plush carpet, her sitting cross legged, and him trying not to fall over entirely from the surprise of it. When he collected himself and was sitting across from her, she wore the same, huge smile. 

"Tell me!" she demanded eagerly.

It was a bit too much at once. He hadn't even planned on what to say if he hadn't bolted back to his room by now. "Er.."

"About her!" Courtney shrieked, flapping her hands. "Tell me about her, have I met her?"

Oh. Yeah.

This, Norman had prepared for. Being an abnormal person, he knew how "normal" things went. He was still a bit flustered from just seconds earlier, but he finally composed himself. "Courtney, hang on, I don't.." he fiddled with his hands. "I don't even know if I.. y'know. That's what I wanted to ask you about."

"Oh! Right, right, I'm just - oh my god, Norman, you don't know how worried I've been that you wouldn't - I mean you're only fourteen, but.. oh you know what I mean, but okay." She said all of this extremely quickly, having to take a long breath at the end of it. Norman just sat quietly, knowing how she was when she got overexcited like this. 

"Okay," she repeated. "How does she make you feel?"

Norman blinked. "I, uh.. what?"

"How does she make you feel?" she asked again in a more forceful tone. "Like, when you're together, does it make you happy, nervous, kinda jittery?"

He blushed darkly. "All of those things," he all but forced out. The carpet suddenly became immensely interesting. Courtney let out a sort of elongated squeak, wiggling in place. 

"Okay, okay," she then said, seeming to attempt to calm herself down. Norman didn't know whether to feel more embarrassed or amused at her behavior. "So, like, why do you.. well, what makes you think you like her like that? Like, what makes her different from being just a friend?"

Norman looked back up at her. His stomach churned a bit at this question. He wasn't sure he'd even thought this hard about the whole thing. Well, this was why he was asking her for her expertise, after all. He wasn't sure how long he went without answering, but it was probably quite a bit. A thousand thoughts and answers buzzed in his head but they were too jumbled and made no sense to just spit out. He took a deep breath and focused on the carpet again. 

"I.. more than anything, I think it's.. because she-," he mentally winced. That was going to be weird. "Even as just a friend, she likes me just as I am. You know? She knows about the spirits, that I talk to them, and doesn't.. never minded it. And everything else, I've never.. felt self conscious about any of the things I like or do."

Norman paused, trying to collect his thoughts. They continued to fly about inside of him and it was all he could to to form them into actual words. 

"I feel.. comfortable with her like I don't with anyone else. Well, besides you, but you know what I mean." 

He finally chanced a glance back up at his sister and was met with a soppy grin stretched across her face. She leaned forward and nodded, placing her head in her hands. Norman sighed and shook his head, smiling too. 

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess that answers that, huh?"

Courtney giggled. "I think so, bud. I mean, if you weren't crushing on her before, then that's definitely the kind of person you want to crush on."

Norman's blush deepened. He nodded. 

 

\--

 

The morning Courtney leaves is less difficult than Norman feared it would be. Their parents are driving her downtown to the bus station where she'll catch a bus up to New York. He decides to stay behind, so they say their goodbyes next to the car before they all leave. 

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

Norman shook his head, smiling. "Nah, the less I have to see mom cry, the better."

Courtney laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Well you'll get your turn in a few.." she trailed off suddenly, looking past her brother at the street. 

He raised an eyebrow and turned to look for whatever had interrupted her, only to see Neil walking quickly up the sidewalk toward their house, waving one of his hands in the air. Norman can't help the bubble of happiness that swelled inside of him or the smile that stretched across his face. 

"Did you ask him to come down and see me off?"

"Nope," he told her truthfully. His smile grew. 

A moment of silence passed between them as they watched the redheaded boy jostle closer to the house. Except, when Norman glanced back at his sister for a second, he found her looking at him. And smiling. 

That wasn't a good smile. 

"What?" Norman said a bit too quickly. 

She doesn't miss a beat. "You're going to tell him how you feel, right?"

His reaction gives everything away. He practically jumped, his face flushing a deep red, and he tried to stutter out that he has no idea what she's talking about, but she just giggled and put a hand on his shoulder. 

"He's not here to say goodbye to me, Norman. He's here for you when I leave."

The realization hit him hard and he's at a total loss for words. His heart thudded hard beneath his rib cage. "Courtney, I-,"

"Hey, listen," she said, her expression turning a bit more serious. "It's fine. Mitch and I are like, best friends, right? My own little brother certainly isn't an exception."

Norman realized with quite a bit of embarrassment how close he is to crying in that moment. He was fine two minutes ago, but now everything was hitting him at once. Neil coming to be there for him when he hadn't asked him to, Courtney leaving, and now she knew how he felt about Neil, a boy, and just said she was fine with it. 

Courtney leaned a bit closer then, a mischievous smile appearing on her face. "And if I know boys at all - and you know I do - I'd say he feels the same. So you better tell him."

Neil walks up just as she leans back again, leaving Norman flabbergasted. He was going to thank him for coming but now he can't even turn his head to look at him. Neil doesn't seem to notice. 

"So I hear you're leaving," he said to Courtney, slightly out of breath. 

"Yup!" she answered in a mock-snooty voice. "Far, far away where I can sleep in peace without constantly having to yell at the two of you to turn down your zombie movies every other night."

Neil mirrored her half-hearted insult. "Yeah, and now we can watch said zombie movies in peace without you interrupting or hearing about how sexy Frank Hutchinson from fourth period is."

Norman is overcome with a fit of the giggles and the other two aren't far behind. 

"Courtney, honey," came the small voice of their mother from behind them. "We're going to be late if we don't get a wiggle on."

"Yeah, yeah," Courtney called back over her shoulder. She hitched her purse higher up on her shoulder, her expression a bit somber now as she looked at the two teenagers in front of her. "I'm gonna miss both of you guys."

The two of them nodded, neither really knowing what to say. A bit to Norman's surprise, she leaned down and gave Neil a quick hug. "Keep him outta trouble for me, will you?"

Neil cracked a smile and lifted a hand in a sort of pledge. "Scout's honor."

Courtney rolled her eyes but said nothing. Then she turned to Norman and hugged him as well. Tightly. He hugged her back with just as much fervor. He felt tears burn behind his eyelids but he squeezed them shut, refusing to cry. 

"Love you," she said quietly into his jacket hood. 

His breath caught in his throat but he swallowed it down. "Love you too."

When they finally pulled apart a few moments later, Courtney's eyes were visibly glassy. She sniffled a bit but smiled. She gave one last look to Neil, then back to her brother, winked, and turned and got into the backseat of the station wagon. She rolled down the window as they began to pull out of the driveway.

"Make sure you text me, dork!" she called to him. "Or message me on Facebook, or, something!"

"I will!" Norman promised, lifting one hand in a small wave. She waved back until he could no longer make her out from the rest of the car as it drove further down the road. He dropped his hand to his side. 

"You okay?"

Norman was quiet for a few seconds before turning to his friend. He nodded. "Thanks for coming. It.. it means a lot."

"Of course I came," he said in a voice as though it had been the most obvious thing in the world. He put a hand on Norman's shoulder, large and warm. Comforting. Norman faltered, a bit overcome with both the sadness of his sister leaving and the happiness that Neil was here for him. It was more than a little emotionally exhausting, to tell the truth. Pushing his shyness aside, he allowed the space between them too dissolve, and he leaned his head down to rest his forehead against Neil's shoulder. 

Neil didn't even flinch. Not a second passed before he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy. Norman sighed, unashamedly snuggling closer. He didn't care. He needed this right now. 

Courtney said to tell him. 

He would, he decided. There was nothing else for it. Judging by how happy he was just being hugged like this by him, how completely content and safe he felt, it wasn't going away anytime soon. No, he needed to tell him. 

Not now, though. 

Not tomorrow, or next week, but.. soon. He owed it to Neil to be honest, if nothing else. Besides, Courtney would murder him for sure if he didn't do it soon.

Just then, Norman's phone chimed from inside his hoodie pocket. The two of them started at the sound of it, and slowly pulled apart. Norman opened his mouth to say something, but silence was all that came out. Feeling stupid, he went for his phone and flipped it open. A text from Courtney. 

- _Are you two making out yet?_ -

Norman squeaked and almost threw his phone. Flustered and ignoring Neil's questioning looks, he invited him inside the house as was second nature for him. 

Thing really weren't going to be that different without his sister around after all.


End file.
